23/05/2026
Simplify Your Menopause Symptoms - Food Is Medicine…
I understand how confusing it is with all the various diets and dieting regimes that had emerged from the fitness and dieting industries over the years. I followed many of them jumping from one to the other because someone, somewhere said ‘it worked. I cannot count how many ‘diets’ I have done – many which haven’t been very healthy but make you lose weight such as meal replacement shakes etc, just not sustainable.
You want to make your lifestyle something you can do for LIFE – not just a quick fix.
Many diets that are promoted in the fitness industry are designed for muscle growth or sports performance and many diets in the dieting industry are designed for rapid weight loss, which as many of us know, are not usually sustainable.
I would love for us to focus on a nutritional focus that is evidenced to improve your health markers instead of a diet designed for muscle growth or quick weight loss. If we focus on internal health and reduce inflammation, then weight loss should follow.
For many years the Mediterranean Diet once again topped the gold medal for the healthiest diet (and the DASH anti-hypertensive diet was second with the Keto diet in last place). Judging is based on health markers such as weight loss, prevention of chronic diseases such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes and how easy the diet is to implement and follow.
The Mediterranean Diet Principles are as follows:
1. Eat nuts and legumes daily.
2. Eat fish at least 2-3 x weekly
3. Use unsaturated fats, such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO).
4. Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables (up to 10 servings daily).
5. Eat whole-grain foods high in fibre.
Eating a varied whole food diet of healthy fats, proteins, carbohydrates and loads of vegetables and fruit. This will help with energy levels, manage moods and balance your hormones much better.
Eat 5-7 servings of fruit and vegetables to ensure you are getting enough vitamins and minerals that are so important for hormone balance.
Eat fibre & foods that your gut bacteria will love (e.g. fruit, vegetables, lentils and wholegrains). Constipation can increase excess oestrogen in the body.
Side Note…
Like many women reaching their 40s and early 50s, my own weight gain arrived and really got me down in a BIG way. I am a health and exercise professional yet my body is doing things that I felt was out of my control – BUT I’ve now realised this is within my control & the steps I am taking ARE working.
I was still exercising, eating healthily (most of the time but not always looking after my nourishment), but still I felt bloated and ‘heavy’, especially in my midsection. This has been by far one of the most difficult changes in my body to comprehend.
The ageing of the global population calls for a better understanding of the age-specific metabolic changes which differ significantly by gender.
New research also suggests that the menopausal transition period in ageing women is strongly associated with weight gain, which, in up to 70% of women, is now a known symptom of menopause.
Furthermore, emerging evidence shows that weight changes during menopause increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Metabolic Syndrome in postmenopausal women.
Factors that may contribute to these changes include normal ageing, hormonal factors, changes in diet, poor sleep patterns, poor gut health, fatty liver disease, and reduced physical activity.
Hence, it’s so SUPER IMPORTANT to look after your health and make changes in this time of your life. You have a lot of years left to LIVE – not just be alive and not be able to ‘live your life’ because you are being kept alive by medications and nursed in a nursing home.
Keep faith my friends – it CAN be turned around! You just need patience and the right support that suits YOU personally and I promise you, you can lose the fat and manage your symptoms and turn your life around again.
